Is scooting supposed to go away right after the vet expresses the anal sacs? My dog had hers done Friday and she is still scooting. She is also itchy and licking her vulva a lot. The vet prescribed antibiotics and dewormers since she was having diarrhea, saying if that didn't work we would consider the possibility of more obscure GI issues. A different vet thought she had food allergies but we never proved anything. Is it bad that she's still scooting?

I think further veterinary investigation to the cause is in order. It may be allergies or it may be something more but it seems like a good vet should be able to narrow this down and find a reason. Maybe try a different vet or go back to this one and tell them you don't believe the treatment worked and you want to know what is actually wrong.

It could be that the anal sacs were not the cause of the problem. If she's been having diarrhea, it's likely her bum is sore or irritated, or allergies could be the culprit. I'd go back to the vet if the scooting and licking doesn't stop within 48 hours. In the meantime, you could try putting some soothing ointment like Neosporin or diaper rash ointment on her bum, but she might just lick it off, in which case you might need a cone for her.

I may just have to take her back to the vet again. I hate to keep taking her back because each time she is more fearful- it's a vicious cycle where she acts avoidant, the vet techs start baby-talking to her and crouching down, and then she gets suspicious of them and is impossible to handle. But this vet said the next step would be a fecal sample so maybe she won't have to be examined again. she is spayed so no idea why her vulva is such a concern to her. She mainly licks that area plus chewing her legs and flanks.

She DID have tapeworms earlier this year, but we took care of them. Canned pumpkin is helping with the diarrhea though her stool is still squishy.

She on a grain free diet? That may be an allergy type issue you are seeing.

And you have to get a fecal before giving her any more meds, make sure she has worms. You can just take a fecal in and drop it off too.

You bringing tons of treats when you visit the vet? Letting her visit everyone? Get treats? Show off all her tricks? Take her to the vet and a visit and leave with no exam? All that helps our dogs do better when there is an exam.

Thanks for the follow-up questions. I have tried grain-free and novel protein diets in the past but they haven't helped with the itchiness. I just discovered she has a hot spot on her leg now and I've been treating with neosporin. I'm contemplating switching to 100% raw single protein after her system has recovered from all of the antibiotics and seeing if that helps. I should probably add probiotics, right?

Her stool has now gone from yellowish diarrhea to almost normal so I think there may have been a pathological component. Giardia is definitely not out of the question with the amount of hiking that we do.

She always gets loads of treats when we go to the vet and seems perfectly calm and happy until people start trying to put their hands on her. I was actually thinking the visit would go well, because in the lobby she was asking for tummy rubs and greeting everyone. Not so! She had a pretty painful ear infection two months ago and the otic exam was traumatic for her. She still yelps when strangers touch her ears the wrong way. I can touch them and look inside and they seem fine.

So yeah, itchy dog, ear infections, hot spots, dragging bum, chronic soft stool. I don't know if it's all related, but from what I have been reading it seems like diet might be the underlying issue.

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